Since this is the first full Aggie Softball post, I’ll go ahead and address the big controversy. We still don’t know what happened with Coach Rodolph being basically dismissed. However, from reading a news report, we find out that Associate Head Coach Cat Hefner was fired “with cause.” It was something to do with “personal files or student records,” which were not available for public viewing. It’s a mystery.
Coach Rodolph’s contract ran out in June. She stayed through the fall season, but her contract was not renewed by the new athletic director. Her and the university seemed to part on amicable terms, though. Assistant Coach Benet Higgs was named interim head coach.
With the early finish to the previous game, I ended up standing around in the stands for an hour. I was glad I brought a coat, as it was getting colder. We had radio for the game with Duke Keith. He’s likeable, but occasionally confused. I noticed the Aggie girls were still doing their horseshoe dance ritual before the game, so that hasn’t changed with the new coach. The team got an intro video on the new scoreboard, like the Pan-Am teams get. There was a good crowd of 501 present for this game against the St. Paul Tommies. We’ve met this university before in Baseball (5-20-23).
Faith Aragon started for the Aggies. She began by giving up a double. There was a bad cover at first and a single turned into another double. A lady with an adorable fluffy dog came in. Oh my goodness, it’s Coach Rodolph herself! She sat down at the scorer’s table with the players working there. The question is: Did she buy a ticket? Faith gave up another double, which scored 2, and she was taken out for Jaileen Mancha. Bella Clapp at second helped her out by catching a liner and throwing out the runner at second. 2-0 Tommies.
The Aggies came right back in the bottom of the first. After a single and a hit batter, Lauren Garcia drove in the two runners with a single. Bella smacked no doubter to center for a 2-run homer. Her teammates lined up and made a tunnel for her to run through back to the dugout. Suddenly, it’s 4-2 Aggies.
The PA announced it was 65-degrees here and 24-degrees in St. Paul. I admit was fascinated with the dog. The Coach left her dog for a minute with a player who was recording stats. The girl was holding the dog and writing on a chart. In the second, the game nearly came to me with a heads up foul ball into the stands a couple of rows below me.
Jaileen had a quick second, but ran into trouble in the third. She gave up a solo shot and Coach Rodolph started yelling at her. After a double and a single, Grace Nosan would hit a 2-run homer. Freshman Kalena Lemus was called in and made her college debut. She got the final out, but the Tommies had retaken the lead with 4 more runs, 6-4.
A thunderous troop of kids were charging after every foul ball. Games are better with the kids there. The Coach was going around the crowd talking to people, who were maybe player parents or boosters. She was having involved talks with them. Between innings, I saw the home plate ump smile watching fans go nuts for a hat toss into the stands. The Utah Valley team came in to watch the game.
In the bottom of the third, St. Thomas had 2 errors, but the Aggies weren’t able to take advantage of the mistakes. On one error, the shortstop dropped a popup and Taylor Baca took second and collided with the player there. Ruby Moore was shaken up, but stayed in. A few of the kids started hanging out around entrance like ball hawks waiting for the next foul ball.
Kalena worked a scoreless fourth. In the bottom, Madi Bachman got a hustle double before Faith came up and powered a line drive home run to right. Make another tunnel! On the radio, Duke Keith shouted, “More cowbell!” as myself and other fans rang our bells. We were tied at 6.
Ella Cook started the top of the fifth giving the Tommies back the lead on the first pitch with a home run. It was crushed. After giving up a single, Kalena came out and Faith was brought back in. The Coach yelling at her and it worked. Faith got two looking strikeouts to end the inning. 7-6 St. Thomas. The Utah Valley coach came by to chat with Coach Rodolph before leaving with the team to warm up for tonight’s game.
The Aggies threatened in the bottom of the fifth. A single and a double chased out the Tommies’ starter. The St. Thomas DP, Cook, came in in relief. She walked the next batter to load the bases. Devin Elam on third tried to score on a wild pitch, but the ball rebounded too quickly off the wall and she was thrown out. Bella took a looking strikeout and a groundout ended the inning. The fans were upset.
Faith piled up two more strikeouts in the sixth, but a single and an error put two on for Cook, who blasted another home run. It was a 3-run shot to center and put the Tommies up 10-6. Cook was in the middle of it in the bottom of the inning. After a walk, Violet Redondo and Taylor both made bunt singles that Cook wasn’t able to come up with. She was then called for a pitch clock violation. A lady behind me had asked me about a pitch clock earlier. I was talking to her and almost missed Lauren driving in 2 runs with a single, though Taylor was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. 10-8 St. Thomas.
The wheels came off in the seventh. After a walk and a single, Faith was relieved by Taryn Bennett. Pinch hitter, Addison Coffey, greeted her with a 3-run homer. A single followed and then an error on the next batter. The error chased Coach Rodolph from the game. Violet threw out a runner at home afterward, but a double drove in another run. Devin then missed a flyball at the wall for another run. It’d be a 5-run inning for the Tommies. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, the final was a disappointing 15-8 loss for the Aggies.
I’ll hand out some Gameballs. For the Aggies, Lauren Garcia had a great game going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI’s. For the Tommies, Addison Coffey made the most of one at bat in the seventh with a 3-run homer. Ella Cook had an “Ohtani” game going 4 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and 2 home runs and she pitched 3 innings.
The sun finally came out for the sunset just peeking through the clouds on the horizon. I decided to take in the nightcap versus Utah Valley at home over the radio. There were some difficulties with the broadcast and I started listening to the Aggie Men’s Basketball game against UTEP. (I don’t want to talk about it right now or, frankly, ever.) I kept checking back for Softball and eventually the game came on.
Joining the game in progress, Devin hit the new scoreboard with the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. (It seems to be a target more than the old one ever was.) The Aggies would then load the bases. They’d score on a walked-in run, a single, and a hit by pitch. It was 4-0 Aggies. Aggie pitcher Zantelle Rodriguez unfortunately got wild in the fifth and the Wolverines tied it up.
Devin had an error in the sixth and Utah Valley took the lead, 6-4. She made up for it in the bottom of the seventh with a home run to start the inning. The Aggies put two on second and third. Bella put down a bunt that brought in Faith as the tying run. Faith’s short stature helped, as she slid in under the tag. Kendal Lunar walked it off with a winning hit. 7-6 Aggies.
Sort of sorry I missed the game, but I’m not sure I would have made it to the end. I was already cold before the sun went down. This Aggie team has been interesting so far. We’ll see what happens ***Sunday for the finale of the NM State Invitational.***
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